Energy from waste facility, New Barnfield, Hatfield

Latest news

Unfortunately it came to our attention a few days before the sessions that not everyone had received a leaflet.

We arranged for a further 3,000 leaflets to be delivered to residents in the immediate area of New Barnfield but obviously didn't reach as many people as we'd originally hoped.

In light of this, we have decided to extend our consultation period by one week to end on Wednesday 25 April 2012.

What’s happening?

We have received an environmental permit application from Veolia Environmental Services for an Energy from Waste facility (EfW) in New Barnfield, Hatfield. The plant will not be allowed to operate unless we grant an environmental permit. We will not issue a permit for the plant if we consider it will cause significant pollution to the environment or harm human health.

Before the EfW plant is built, Veolia will also need to obtain planning permission from Hertfordshire County Council. The planning process determines whether the development is an acceptable use of land and considers a broad range of matters such as visual impact, traffic and access, which do not form part of our decision-making process.

How do we decide?

We have to be satisfied that the facility can operate without causing significant pollution before we grant a PPC permit.

We will make sure before granting a permit that:

• the incinerator is designed and operated to meet stringent controls
• the standards used in the design, maintenance and operation of the incinerator meet or are better than European standards
• we will look at the releases to air, water and land and consider their effect on the environment as a whole
• the best available techniques are used to minimise pollution as well as odour, noise and vibration.

If we grant a permit, we carry out periodic audits, inspections and check monitoring to make sure the operator is complying with the permit conditions. We review permit conditions and can change them at any time. If an operator breaches the conditions of their permit, we will take appropriate enforcement action and/or prosecute depending on the seriousness of the breach.

Consultation on the permit application

To inform our decision-making process we will consult with members of the public as well as  a range of organisations that have a role in protecting the environment and human health. These include the local authority, the Primary Care Trust, the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency. 

What happens next?

The consultation is now open.  The consultation period runs form 7 March to 18 April 2012.

You can view a copy of the application free of charge at the following places:

Before you travel, please call your chosen venue to ensure the application is currently available to view.

You can also view the application on our website:

• New Barnfield consultation

If you have any comments on the application, please send them to us by clicking on the View and Comment button on the consultation webpage.

Alternatively if you would prefer to write to us, please send your comments about the application to the address below, quoting the application number: EA/EPR/MP3637FL/A001

The Environment Agency
Permitting Support Centre
PO Box 4209
Sheffield
S9 9BS

(We normally place all comments on our public register. If you do not want your comments to appear on the public register, please make this clear.)

Public drop-in sessions 21 and 22 March 2012

We are holding a public drop-in session on both days between 2pm and 9pm at:

Beales Hotel
Comet Way
Hatfield
AL10 9NG

Our staff will be available to answer your questions about the permitting and regulation of energy from waste plants, so please feel free to come and talk to us at any time between 2pm and 9pm on either of the two dates above.

• Beales Hotel

Where can I find out more?

Find out more:

• Energy from Waste
• The permitting process